RAVPower is an industry leader in fast charging. In fact, our most recent fast charger is the smallest in the world. And now we want to teach you the ultimate charging life hack.
Did you know that simply using one of our fast chargers with your standard cable isn’t always enough? Good cables make all the difference, and you need to make sure you’re using a cable that’s up to scratch. Read on for our guide to how you can improve the speed of your charging!
What is Fast Charging?
We’re going to write a detailed blog about this soon – for now, this video is a great one:
Does your cable really affect how fast your phone charges?
With the exception of color and size, cables tend to look the same. Yes, one might be lightning and yes, one might be USB, but otherwise there isn’t much difference. Right?
Wrong. And it’s all for a beautiful reason – it’s what’s on the inside that counts!
Why do good charging cables matter for fast charging?
There are four wires inside your USB charging cables, including data wires and charging wires. How much power your cable carries is decided by the size of one of these charging cables; a standard cable is 28/28 gauge, whilst good cables for fast charging have 28/24 gauge.
The standard wires only carry around .5A, whereas fast charging cables can carry up to 2A. This is because even though 24 seems a lower number than 28, they’re actually 60% bigger.
Life hack note: cable size matters!
Unfortunately so, especially when pairing with a purpose-built fast charger.
It’s a pretty simple idea. Bigger cables carry more current, and so can transfer more current to your phone in the same amount of time. This means it will charge faster.
How can I check if I have a fast charging cable?
There are a few ways of doing this, including downloading an app. One simple test is – are you still using the cable that came with your phone? If so, and your phone didn’t come equipped with a fast PD GaN charger (or you’re using a cable from an older phone, shock horror), then you might want to change things up.
If you aren’t sure and want to cover all bases, you can buy new, durable and fast charging ready lightning cables and USB-C cables from RAVPower! If you want to know more about our fast charging range, click here.
Want to learn more about PD charging? Here’s five reasons you should get a PD charger!
What about the opposite: Slow charging. My need for power is mostly off-grid so my charging is often limited to portable solar chargers or bicycle dynamos. The ability for the battery to effectively charge when the input is low or variable is critical. Any comments about this or which of your batteries is best for this job?
Hi Bob
If you’re looking for excellent portable solar panels we have a few great options for you – please check out https://www.ravpower.com/c/solar-chargers.html
I am buying a new ravpower 60 watt charger and it says to use ravpower cables. However the only cables you are are for Iphones, etc or c to c. How do I find regular charging cables for other products like Samsung and kindle?
Hi you’ll need to buy the cables separately. We suggest finding cables that support quick charge.